We lose things

Dogs are famously loyal, but they don’t have built-in GPS. That’s what dog tags are for — so lost pups can be reunited with their families even if they’re a long way from home.

It’s not only dogs we sometimes can’t find, and you don’t need to go far away to lose things. So dog tags can be useful on all sorts of items: luggage, wallets, toddlers’ mittens. Even something right in front of your face can benefit from a label that helps you to find more useful information about it.

STEP ONE

A small label is good because it can fit on almost anything.

Add a single ID that will tell you what this is, or who to contact to get more information: serial number, phone number, IP address, storage box number. Add the date so you know how current this information is.

(Pro-tip: use an ultra-fine Sharpie.)

STEP TWO

We like to label network and server equipment with either the item’s IP address or hardware ID from our asset database. Putting that label up front means you won’t have to go searching with a magnifying glass to find a serial number or product code.

And if you’re tagging actual dogs, be careful not to wake them up.

We label things

This past year, we’ve helped a lot of our clients move from one office to another, or renovate their existing space, or build out a brand new facility.

When that happens, we become packers and project managers, dismantling a server rack in one location and then carefully rebuilding it in a new one.

The specific items for which we are often responsible — network devices, large-scale storage, and servers — can be pretty generic looking, and, especially to the untrained eye, can be indistinguishable from each other. That’s where a clear label on the equipment itself, or on the box we are moving from point A to point B, is indispensable.

Large institutions often add an asset tag with barcode to every physical piece of equipment they own. If you are tracking something through a warehouse, that might make sense. But most of our clients function on a more human scale (and can’t read barcodes ), so a more flexible solution is more appropriate. With these labels, we can choose a meaningful ID that provides the most context.

And the yellow “M” in the corner of the label lets you know this is a number that someone at Macktez will be able to work with. (This can save us all a lot of time troubleshooting over the phone.)

Congratulations to Sylvia Ryerson, our 2017 Summer Stipend recipient

“Restorative Radio NY: Public Airwaves Through Prison Walls” is a deeply moving project to bridge the physical divide between individuals incarcerated in upstate New York and their families. Sylvia co-produces “audio postcards” with family members that are broadcast over public airwaves in order to reach their loved ones in prison as well as a general listening audience.

Prisoners are culturally and geographically isolated; so are their families. But studies across the board show that maintaining family connections is an important factor in successful reentry upon release. That’s why Sylvia’s project makes such an impact.